Monday, March 18, 2024

Pussywillows

I was busy packing away any trace of winter decor in the house today.  Winter weather has returned before the season exits - snowed yesterday and today.  When Whip and I walked out by the Gorge the geese and mallards were replaced by a thin skim of ice near the water edges.  I watched a short-tailed weasel jump out onto the lawn and back into the tall grass on the hunt.  He was still in his winter whites - just the tip of his tail remained black.  Spring, however, will not be denied and there, in the swamp, I found pussywillows in bloom.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

The Amaryllis is in bloom

Excerpts from the Sheriff's Report:

12:14 a.m. - Person came to Law Enforcement lobby acting disorderly, hitting the window and throwing backpack at the door.  Officer advised the person said he was going to rob someone so he could come back to jail.

8:47 a.m. - Smoke alarm at Assisted Living facility.  Fire department dispatched and soon canceled.  Resident burned food.

9:50 a.m. - Lake access has been blocked off with barbed wire and a no trespassing sign telling people to call County officials.  A person of interest just had the land surveyed and this contradicts the ordinary high water mark.  This is a civil disagreement between landowner and County.  Officer spoke with county attorney who agreed this is a civil issue to be handled by County Board.

1:42 p.m. - Teen children don't want to stay at the residence.  Mother doesn't want them to leave.  Officer scolded children and told them they need to listen to their mother and they can't just leave and take her car.  One teen threw a phone.  Officer advised the teen could go to jail if the mother requests it because children cannot own property until they are 18 years old.  The teens were not happy with the outcome.  The mother called back to say she can handle the situation and no longer needs law enforcement.

4:06 p.m. - Caller asked for a check on a person they usually speak with a few times a day and it has been several days since they had talked.  Officer contacted person who was fine but said they did not know the other person who called this into law enforcement.

4:28 p.m. - Both parties reported the other is harassing them.  Both were informed in the future if they show proof the other is harassing them a ticket will be issued.  Both were also informed they were acting childish and it needs to stop.

6:18 p.m. - An inmate advised property was taken.  Dog will be brought to the law enforcement center to get the dog back to the proper owner.  Animal was brought to the proper owner.

6:51 p.m. - Caller advised his home was entered and wall damage done.  Internet was cut.  The door had been left unlocked when suspect left residence.  Suspect denied causing damage.  Call part of an earlier disagreement about dog ownership.

7:29 p.m. - Two car accident, vehicle crossed center line.  Driver advised he fell asleep while driving after drinking one beer.  Field sobriety tests came back as not an OWI.  Minor bruising and cuts on both drivers.  One vehicle is a funeral home vehicle transporting a deceased person at the time of the crash.  Both vehicles were disabled and towed.  The deceased was picked up by another funeral home transport.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Mallards and Geese

 

The geese are still at the pond and both doing their neck-down-hiding thing whenever I and the dog come around.  The last two days they've been accompanied by a mallard pair who don't do the neck-down-hiding thing.  Would be interesting if the mallards pick it up from the Canadians.    As you can see from the surface of the pond it was very windy all day.  Since it was an overcast and quite cool day I hoped the wind would be enough to dry the sheets I hung out on the clothesline.  The combination of years of exposure to harsh Northwoods elements and the strain of the strong winds on the sheets however was too much for the plastic line.  It snapped when I pulled the sheets off.  Will have to figure out how to fix it or work w/ only three lines until I find new cord.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Jigsaw Puzzle

 

Yesterday was Pi day and today is the Ides of March.  I guess I switched my observances of these two special days.  Yesterday I had leftovers in the fridge and chose to eat those.  So today I bopped into town to pick up a pizza - which is how I usually celebrate Pi day.  "Beware the Ides of March" has ominous connotations (did for Julius Caesar anyway).  I had arranged with the town clerk to pick up the keys to the town hall after the board meeting last night.  She also asked if I would explain how we would handle some special circumstances w/ the next election.  That meant I both had to attend the meeting and couldn't leave until the end.  (Come to think of it, Julius was killed attending a meeting.)  When called on I talked about the election - took all of two minutes.  The last item on the agenda was road maintenance.  The board discussed gravel for the next forty-five excrutiatingly boring, soul-eviscerating minutes.  It flitted through my mind that even Caesar's agony didn't last this long.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Canadian Geese

 

The geese were still on the pond today and the one had taught the other the keep-your-head-down trick.  Actually from the top of the hill they did look more like two rocks by the side of the pond than live animals.  They kept that pose until Whip came to the water's edge for a drink.  The ruse abruptly ended.  They raised their heads, paddled out to the middle of the pond, turned to face her, and began honking.  Strangely they paid no attention to me.  Whip was intrigued but I kept walking.  Once I was out of sight of the pond whistled for her to come.  The honking stopped as Whip raced down the path toward me.  It occurred to me that the pair might not be just resting up before continuing north but may want to raise a family here.  Tricky w/ coon around and a big snapper that comes up from the swamp most years, not to mention the coyotes and inquisitive Whip.  However, I suppose there are similar issues whereever they might choose to nest.  Would be nice to see little goslings paddling around.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Where There's Smoke

I got as far as the Gorge and saw that there was something swimming there.  Wouldn't you know it - I'd taken neither my camera nor cell phone.  I could tell one was a Canadian goose.  Strange, don't think I'd ever seen Canadian geese on the pond.  The other thing was a dark mass laying on top of the water - muskrat maybe.  As I got closer I saw that the dark mass was another Canadian goose but one w/ it's neck and head laid low in the water.  I had seen a duck do that once in a vain attempt to go unnoticed but never a goose.  It stayed that way the entire time I walked around the east side of the pond.  Was at the far end of the pond when Whip went stiff legged and started barking.  There was a truck on my neighbor's land and someone walking through an old stand of corn.  The figure was working his way in my general direction so I decided to walk down the hill and see what he was up to.    (Neighbor Anita and I had just been discussing how rural people take a great interest in everything that happens on their neighbor's property.)   The man introduced himself as Ryan.  He'd been helping my neighbor w/ a fence and been allowed to hunt sheds on his property.  He asked if he could look for them on my land and I said sure.  The nasty thing about sheds is if you are driving through high grass and don't see them, they can puncture a tire.  Plus, as Ryan put it, it's a fun hobby that keeps him out of the bars.  Whip and I went on our way which ended up crossing the western edge of the Gorge.  I looked through the trees to see if I could get a different angle on the geese.   Located them.  The goose that I thought might be ill or hurt had it's head up and was swimming w/ it's mate.  Life is good.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Looks like Robins have returned too

 

Got a call from my hair-cutter.  She asked if I could come in early for my appointment.  Sure ... always a good thing to be on the good side of the person who has big shears next to your face.  Her daughter is sick.  The hair-cutter took off yesterday to take her to the clinic.  The doc said it was the flu and give her the usual stuff.  She just got a call from her sister and the daughter is no better and seems to have a deep cough.  So she was hoping to get out early today, take the daughter back to the doc, and do her "Mama Bear" thing demanding something more be done.  Having no kids, long time since I was sick, and never tried a 'Mama Bear' thing I had nothing to add to the conversation so my only response was to please cut my hair short like last time.  The hair-cutter was a little preoccupied and said she couldn't remember how she'd cut it before.  She asked if I wanted my hair over my ears or cut up around them.  I told her either would be fine w/ me.  The hair-cutter chose the latter.  Now that  I have no hair covering my ears I realized that my right ear sticks out further than my left.  That sent me to the Internet to see if that condition was fixable.  Yes, there is surgery to pin one's ears.  Fortunately I don't look in the mirror anywhere near as often as I did as a teenager so doubt it will bother me enough to want surgery.   I will notice it when I'm on Zoom meetings.  Can always turn my head so only one ear is visible.  In further searching on the Internet I found the inevitable: an obscure study finding people w/ uneven ears are more intelligent than those with matching ears.   

Monday, March 11, 2024

Northern Flicker (Yellow-Shafted)

 

This morning I walked around the house resetting the clocks.  Time to catch up with the rest of the country (so to speak).   As I made breakfast saw another sign that spring is coming - a bunch of flickers were in the back yard.   I'm in the southern part of their breeding grounds so this group coming through today may stay or just be stopping off on their way further north.  Warm enough (55 degrees) that I opened up the garage door on Sleipnir this afternoon while I worked on repotting some plants.  Everything seems to be reacting to longer daylight hours.  The chives and parsley I overwintered hadn't looked very appetising in January.  Now they have  vigorou plump new shoots coming up.  

Sunday, March 10, 2024

First Red-Winged Blackbird

 

A pretty good day.  Because of the hour change I was up before sunrise and went out on the deck to watch it.  I made something for lunch that was so good I actually would have paid for it in a restaurant.  Most of my concotions you'd send back to the kitchen.  Whip and I went for a walk after the evening news.  At the Gorge I saw the first red-winged blackbird of the season.  They are always one of the first species to return.  Fortunately for them, they are omnivores.  No insects yet (though Mr. Dearhamer said he had a tick already) so they eat seeds and grains until the insects awaken.  I also could hear an engine revving as if a vehicle was stuck in the mud.  Not much mud right now but I did see a car that had driven off the county road and deep into the swamp on Friday.  Might be someone was finally trying to retrieve it.  Didn't sound like they were having much luck.  A clear sky tonight for our constitutional.   Orion is high in the south.  His hunting dogs follow at his heals as he raises his shield against the charge of Taurus the Bull.  Leo the Lion is crouched and slowly following them all.  By the time I broke out of my reverie, Whip, lit-up in her harness, was already back home and waiting patiently for me by the front door.  The Oscar fashions, at least the one's I've seen so far, appear that noone is going to burst out of them on stage - well - except for John Cena.

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Candleflame Lichen

The dog and I walked out through the woods but  no signs of plant life waking up from their winter sleep.  It still freezes every night so that may be what's keeping everything underground.  I found my first signs of spring closer to home.  When I walked into my bathroom this morning I noticed one of the amaryllis has a foot long stalk.  I'd put the three pots of amaryllis in my bathroom just before Christmas.  The window in there is too far to the northwest for sunlight during the winter months.  It wasn't until this last week that I noticed there was a sliver of light coming through in the afternoon.  That might have been what triggered my original bulb to come back to life.  I checked the other two pots which have the bulbs I split off from the first one.  They also have a stalk peaking out.  Not exactly a sign of spring since I could probably force them to bloom whenever I wanted by just putting them in a darkened room for a certain length of time.   Still, it's a nice time of year to see something getting ready to bloom again.

Friday, March 08, 2024

Jigsaw Puzzle

The Words with Friends (WWF) game includes a cutsy progress map to give you 'atta boys' for playing the game.  The progress map has levels marked by different books.  (You know - words ... books - they kinda go together.)   I finally reached the  'Ancient Epics' level and it's first book is Gilgamesh.  Like most people I've read bits and pieces of this Sumerian story but never all of the book so figured this would be a good impetus to do so.  The library system had the translated novel on audio CD's so I checked it out.  Last night during the final hour of my library duty I put it on the disk player at the front desk.  Thought I would listen to it while I finished up the work the librarian had left for me.  Fortunately there was no one else in the library.  You see, while we all know about the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba & the 40 Thieves, there is a reason most people don't read the entire 1001 Arabian Nights novel where those stories are from.  Turns out the same is true of Gilgamesh.  I looked up more than once while I listened to the book to ensure that I was alone in the library.  

Monday, March 04, 2024

Raffle Basket and Blitz

 

I'd left the Homeless Shelter's fundraiser early.  Neighbor Anita gave me a call Sunday afternoon letting me know I had won one of the raffle baskets.  She had brought it back w/ her and I could come over to pick it up whenever I had time.  Turned out it was the basket that Anita herself had put together.  She called it a Readers/Writers Special: a book, a journal and pen, a Fire tablet, a cup w/ different cocoa mixes, and a comfy throw.  So glad this is the basket I won.  The other baskets I had put tickets in all contained collections of cheeses and a bottle of wine.   Would have had to figure out someone I knew that liked wine.

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Oil Painting

 

Fundraiser tonight for the Homeless Shelter.  The homeless shelter is needed.  Even w/ the mild winter we've had, it would be deadly to not have a warm place to sleep.  The shelter has had some recent setbacks and they needed help.  Neighbor Anita and others put together tonight's festivities at the golf club's meeting rooms.  The meal for the night was five different types of soup and then a long line of charcuterie boards laden w/ cheeses, fruits, baguettes, crackers, etc.   Entertainment was a man on guitar singing oldies (but goodies).    There were raffle tickets for goodie bags and items donated from local artists to be auctioned off. I bought raffle tickets for the goody bags.  Picked up some finger food and sat down at a table w/ two ladies from the apartment complex where my mother used to live.  Talked w/ them about local goings on and others joined our table.  The place was filling up by the time the new director of the Homeless Shelter gave a short speech  talking about how the Homeless Shelter is run, their recent success stories, and what are the shelter's future needs.    Then the auction began.  I'd signed up for a number when I had first come in.  Anita had found a real auctioneer so it was rather fun to see him do his schtick .  There was one picture I was interested in.  Got in a three-way bidding war and when the smoke cleared, the pic was mine.  Afterward, the people bidding against me gave me their contact info in case I didn't want to keep the picture.  Mostly I wanted to give some money to the homeless shelter and while I like the picture, not sure where to hang it.    Will have to see.

Friday, March 01, 2024

Jigsaw Puzzle

I listened to the rest of the February County Board meeting on YouTube.  The Board wanted to sell the land where the former hospital and clinic were located.   It's prime acreage overlooking a river.  They had not had it assessed.  They had not put it out for bids.  The members of the board had been lobbied by a newly created charity that wanted to build a Christian school there.  As a tax-exempt organization the property would be off the property tax base.  To me, the reps for the charity seemed vague about which children they expected to attend - couldn't even answer the simple question of what would be the expected ratio of teacher to students.  The board had the county lawyer in attendance and had warned that they might go into closed session to discuss the terms of the sale.  There were so many things wrong w/ that scenerio that I actually began to feel light headed.  Fortunately a few voices of reason kept the Board from acting that night though I wouldn't put it past some members to attempt to push it through at next month's meeting.   (That's the last one before all of them were up for reelection.)  The best thing to do when my mind is blown is to take a walk.  Whistled for Whip and we took off along the paths.  A 'V' of Canadian geese flew overhead.  Heard barred owls talking back and forth from the direction of the swamp.  There is water sitting atop the ice on Gorgeous Gorge.  Nothing growing yet but the animal scat along the trail is less noticeable - think it's warm enough for microorganisms to be working at breaking down organic stuff.  By the time we got home, everything was once again at equilibrium in my world.